LACEY, Wash. – The Montana State University Billings baseball team pulled out a pair of victories in Friday's doubleheader against Saint Martin's University, earning two important road wins in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
The Yellowjackets (18-20, 9-11 GNAC) began their two-week road trip west in Lacey versus the Saints (13-23, 9-13), picking up two crucial wins as the GNAC's teams battle for a trip to the GNAC Championships. MSUB was led by consecutive pitching gems from starters Jackson Betancourt and Trevor Cassell, who each threw a complete game in their appearances. Betancourt allowed just four hits in the Yellowjackets 3-1 victory in game one, striking out three and allowing no walks, with the only Saint's run scoring in the game being unearned. And the Yellowjackets would keep the momentum going in game two, led by Cassell, who allowed three hits and walked one in his second consecutive complete game shutout.
 
"Jackson and Trevor were excellent today," said Yellowjackets head coach Derek Waddoups. "They were both on point all game and showed a lot of toughness and composure on the mound. They both did a good job of getting ahead of hitters, and our defense did a good job of backing us up."
 
Game 1: MSUB 3, SMU 1
 
In a low scoring opener to the day's games, the Saints would strike first in the bottom of the second inning. After Reid Little advanced to third based on an error, Braeden Mcnally would knock him home on a sac fly to centerfield. But Betancourt was able to escape the inning with no further damage, and after the third inning, allowed just one batter to reach base for the rest of the game. The Yellowjackets would tie things up in the top of the fourth on a Payton Flynn RBI double, and the game would remain deadlocked until the eighth inning, where RBI singles from Mitch Winter and Bodee Flynn would prove to be the difference in the game.
 
"Payton has been a clutch hitter for us all year, and he came up big when we needed him twice in this one," said Waddoups. "Our guys showed a lot of toughness in this game, battling through adversity, and I liked how we responded as a group."
 
Flynn went 2-4 with a pair of RBIs in the game, the only Yellowjacket hitter with multiple hits. Winter went 1-4, as did Jack Nehler. Carson Green went 1-3 with a run and a stolen base, and Kaden Kirshenbaum went 1-3 with a pair of runs.
 
Game 2: MSUB 2, SMU 0
 
The offense remained rare in the second game, with starters Trevor Cassell and Justice Yamashita going back and forth in a pitchers' duel. The only damage would be inflicted in the fifth inning, when the Yellowjackets grabbed a pair of runs to take the lead. After Payton Flynn doubled to leadoff the inning, Bodee Wright scored him with an RBI single to centerfield. And after advancing to third after a wild pitch and subsequent single from Jack Nehler, Zack Blaszak would lay down a sacrifice bunt with allowed Wright to score. After allowing singles in the first two innings, Cassell didn't allow a runner to touch base again until the seventh inning, where SMU got two runners on to make things interesting late. But after a sacrifice bunt, Cassell would force the next two batters to pop out to the infield, clinching the Yellowjacket's second win of the day.
 
"Payton came up big for us again, picking up his double with two strikes in the fifth, said Waddoups. "And Bodee has just been solid for us all year, so it was no surprise to see him come up with the clutch single and make his way around. To win two close games in a day is a tough thing to do, so this group deserves a lot of praise after closing it out twice."
 
THE BUZZ: Betancourt and Cassell were selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Players of the Day for their respective appearances… It was Betancourt's third complete game of the season, but his first in a nine-inning game… Over his past two starts, Cassell has combined to allow five hits and five walks, striking out eleven batters and not allowing a single run, lowering his ERA from 4.50 to 2.75 over that span.
 
UP NEXT: The 'Jackets finish their series against the Saints tomorrow with a second doubleheader, set to begin at 12 PM (1 PM MST). Live video will be available here, and live statistics will be available here.